26/05/2013

What does Julie Gichuru, Kobi Kihara, Jalang’o, and Janet Mbugua have in common?

Ever heard of celebrities who start their own side hustles?
Then some Kenyan Celebs have perfected that art well. Here is a few of the
profiles.

1. Julie Gichuru.

Julie Gichuru started a magazine way back in the day.
Unfortunately, the magazine business collapsed, and she was back to job
searching, ending up at Capital FM. She is back to the business side of things,
and currently produces the Africa leadership
Program series, which she interviews Africans that are making a mark in the
continent. Will be second time lucky?

2. Kobi Kihara.

Kobi Kihara interests in photography are well known. She
pulled out of the Citizen morning breakfast program to concentrate on her
production company. However, she found the media calling again, and has

Janet Mbugua was head hunted by the South African based
media house, ETV, which has significant pan African operations. She had also
started a production house, before quitting everything when Citizen TV came
calling. Remember the rounds that did on the internet that she was being paid
kshs.800, 000 per month to leave the South African job?

4. Churchill.

Churchill ka Mwalimu Kingang’i has a day job at Classic 105,
where he co hosts the morning show with Maina Kageni. He also runs Laugh
industries, where he organizes plays, and such shows as Churchill Live.

5. Jalang’o.

Jalang’o is probably the personification of the Kenyan
dream, having come from so far. His big break came when he got an acting sting
in Papa Shirandula at Citizen TV, then went on to co-host the Kiss Big
Breakfast show, before moving on to Radio Jambo. Meanwhile, he still runs Arena
media, which he has scaled up significantly to produce ads and a production for
K24, in recent years. The firm employs at least a dozen people.

Lesson! These days, entertainment and media is not just
about informing people and making them happy. It’s about business.